Wednesday, May 28, 2014

We Can! Wednesday is a link-up, hosted by LoyalRUN and myself, to help encourage others to make goals and achieve them. A place where you can fall and we will be there to help lift you back up. A place where, when you cross that finish line, we will be right there, cheering you on. No official rules. Just grab a button and then link up below! I can't wait to hear from you!
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My post today is for ladies with PCOS and things we can do to help our Anxiety. It would help anyone with anxiety i am sure. I stole from a post i seen last week, it was perfect timing for me to read all the things I can do.

I read a lot off PCOS Diva.
She gives me a lot of advice on how to deal with my PCOS.

A Dozen PCOS Anxiety Busters

Anxiety can be one of what often seems like a myriad of PCOS symptoms. I have shared some of my favorite ways to overcome anxiety naturally below. But I do think regardless of PCOS, many people struggle with anxiety. I just came across this quote by Paulo Coehlo, the author of The Alchemist (a great book by the way!)

“Anxiety was born in the very same moment as mankind. And since we will never be able to master it, we will have to learn how to live with it. Just as we have learned to live with storms.”

I believe the most powerful tool we have to weather our emotional “storms” is at the end of our forks – the food we eat. For me going gluten-free has tremendously helped my anxiety levels. Eating a nutrient rich diet has helped me calm the storms of life. Isn’t this interesting? – according to a study in the Journal Pharmacological Research, berry phytonutrients turn off enzymes that fuel depression and anxiety. (1) Food really is medicine.

Here are some other ways to learn to live with anxiety:

Focus Phrase Bring to mind a “Focus Phrase”. My favorite is, “I chose to be grateful and enjoy this moment.” By saying this to myself, I chose to aim my attention at enjoyment and to the immediate sensory events happening in and around me, rather than worrying about the past or future.

Omega 3′s Keep anxiety at bay by taking Omega 3′s every day. Poor diet results in a decrease in Omega 3 fatty acids. They play an essential role in building and maintaining the brain. Over 60% of your brain is built from these fatty acids and your brain cells are continually being renewed. Without adequate Omega 3′s your brain cannot build properly. Ohio State University recently found that healthy adults who took 2.5 grams of Omega 3’s per day for 12 weeks experienced 20 percent less anxiety than those who took a placebo. (2)

Create Ritual It is a simple but powerful way to reduce your experience of anxiety. For me it means, lowering the lights, lighting a candle and putting on some soothing music – I love George Winston‘s Piano music.

Eliminate Sugar and Caffeine Sugars are known to increase heart rate which can cause anxious feelings. Caffeine is also known to make people feel jittery and be more likely to feel stressed. Try to stay away from foods high in sugar and caffeine, including sodas, coffee and candy.

Exercise Exercise will improve overall health and give you a sense of well being by the release of endorphins, can lower stress and anxiety levels. Calming activities like Yoga and Tai Chi are great. Just one hour session of yoga offers the GABA boosting effects of conventional medications with no side effects. According to a recent study in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, yoga is more effective than walking for reducing anxiety. (3)

Meditation This is a powerful mindfulness and anti-anxiety tool. For detailed info and how to’s read my post here.

Lavender Oil – I am a big believer in a relaxing bath. When my nerves are frazzled and am feeling very anxious I let it all float away in a bath of Dead Sea Salts, or Epsom salt which both contain relaxing magnesium and some lavender essential oil which has a sedative quality. For my bath recipe and more info on Essential oils read my post.

Green Tea L-theanine in green tea is a calming agent – increases alpha brain waves, which are linked to increased relaxation. For more information on the health benefits of tea for PCOS read mypost.

B Vitamins- B vitamins are essential for stress management, enery production and neurotransmitter balance. B6 aids in the production of serotonin which helps prevent mood swings and anxiety. For detailed info on B12 read my post.

Rescue Remedyis great for on the spot relief in anxious or stressful situations. And white chestnut is excellent for worries that wander round and round in your head. Here’s the description of white chestnut’s uses from the Bach Flower website: White Chestnut: This Essence helps when your mind is full of unwanted thoughts and mental arguments. These mental arguments can often keep you from sleeping at night. White Chestnut helps you clear your mind and get the thinking under control and can be put to positive use in problem-solving. Worry is replaced by trust in a positive outcome.

Acupuncture Acupuncture works to counteract the fight or flight stress response by releasing calming feel-good neurotransmitters such as endorphins and reduce stress hormones like cortisol. It also imporves blood circulation with oxygenates the tissues and cyscles out cortisol which soothe’s worry.

Acupressure is another form of energy work. By pressing, tapping, or massaging key energy points on your body’s meridian system you can learn to relieve anxiety and worrying thoughts very effectively. One excellent DIY way to do this is with Emotional Freedom Technique or “tapping” which I explain in detail in this post.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

I am late to Weekly Wishes. Monday was a holiday and i enjoyed staying off my laptop the last 4-5 days. Thanks to Melyssa at The Nectar Collective for starting this link-up! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Last weeks wishes!

Drink lots of water.

My goal was 100oz a day, i would say i got close if not going over some days. I went to kmart and got a 24oz cute cup so it was super easy to do

No fast food.

ugh, yeah lets not talk about this.

Get all my school work done

I got all my school work done last Wednesday, so i have 5 lovely days with no homework.

My dad came in march to help clean and organize, its coming a bit cluttered again, i need to get out there and clean it up good thing its NOTHING like it was back in march.

HOMEWORK!

I am going on our annual Louisville trip soon, so i need to work ahead and get this weeks homework done and next week, WISH ME LUCK. I CAN DO THIS!

READ!

I have found a book to get lost in, i think it'll help my anxiety a little bit, get lost in a book :) SO i am ready The Fault In Our Stars, probably about halfway through so should finish up before the week is over!

Well as you read yesterday, I SAID YES TO THE DRESS,so my goal is continue to lose a little more weight but most definitely not go over board because i cant spend a million dollars on alterations and MOST definitely not gain any weight because you cant add more dress, haha. SO two years ago i was in a plus size 22 and 2xl in shirts and I can proudly say i bought my wedding dress in a size 16, its fits and everything, almost perfect. I am not someone who is working out hard core everyday and being very strict with my eating. I am simply working on my will power and portion control. I enjoy yummy foods and still am losing the weight. I started back to counting and logging my calories, that worked from me in the beginning so figured i should get back to it to help me not eat that junk food and realize what i am putting in my body.

SO I am here to tell you, don't give up, don't get down on yourself, today is a NEW DAY, make small changes and work your way up, all the weight you gained wont come off over night, just keep on going and stay positive! Make a game plan and stick to it. Get in facebook support groups, they help i know from experience. Have a friend or family help support you on your bad days! Another piece of advice I have is to DRINK DRINK DRINK water. I try to get anywhere between 64oz-100oz of water a day.

I am going to weight myself Saturday and will update you all next week. I broke the 200 more last week so working hard to keep my number under 200. GOOD LUCK TO ALL, i am here for anyone!